Unions look for greater job security

Employers face a sustained campaign by trade unions to address “precarious employment", which includes a push for casual workers to become permanent after a set period.

The ACTU national executive endorsed the campaign yesterday, although the Gillard government has already played down the prospects of major changes to its Fair Work laws.

ACTU president
Ged Kearney
said yesterday that unions would push to improve job security for casual workers through enterprise bargaining and through running a test case during a scheduled review of the award system by Fair Work Australia.

“There will be a range of measures pursued," she said. “It’s going to be a long campaign."

She was speaking after unions called for Fair Work Australia to resume a review of training wages and to support pay rises for apprentices to reduce the current drop-out rate in training of about 50 per cent.

“We need to have an effective apprenticeship system so Australia is not forced to rely too heavily on temporary skilled migration."

The national secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union,
Dave Oliver
, called for the government to act quickly on the recommendations of a recent review of the apprentice system.

Mr Oliver, who was on the review’s expert panel, criticised the government for immediately rejecting a levy on employees to help pay for improved training programs.

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“Such a scheme would channel funds from all organisations in certain industries into a central training pool, and provide a rebate for those organisations that take on apprentices and provide them with quality on-the-job training. Employers can’t complain about skills shortages on one hand, and refuse to invest in training on the other."

A spokesman for Workplace Relations Minister
Chris Evans
refused to be drawn on whether the government would support pay rises for apprentices in the review of training wages by Fair Work Australia. “The government is serious about reforming the Australian apprenticeship system," the spokesman said. “We are looking to reduce barriers and increase the number of people gaining a trade qualification. We are consulting with key stakeholders including unions, employers and training providers regarding this matter and reform of the apprenticeship system more generally."

Assistant Treasurer
Bill Shorten
, a former senior union leader, will address the ACTU executive today on superannuation, where the government is pushing a plan to lift employer contributions from 9 per cent to 12 per cent over a decade.

But many unions are seeking to accelerate this timetable for higher super contributions through enterprise bargaining.